CANDIDATE FOR COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 8

Hamburg Township Woman Running for County Commission

A woman who tackled the problem of the lack of late-night transportation for Livingston County is running for a seat on the Livingston County Commission.

Kristina Drake, of Hamburg Township, says she is running for a second time because she still believes that District 8 deserves a more active and progressive representation on the county board.

“The way the county board does business hasn’t changed. This county is still far behind surrounding areas in technology, addiction programs, corrections, and environmental protections.” Kristina said. “We only in the last couple years have had the technology to accept credit cards at the clerk’s office.”

Last summer, Kristina went on a mission to bring Lyft, a popular rideshare program, to Livingston County as an option for those needing a ride home late at night. “There was a lot of talk about the increased DUI arrests in this county without anyone trying to create a solution, so I decided to find one,” she said.

Other very real problems also have been left to residents to solve with fundraisers and special assessments so that the same commissioners every year can brag about the lowest tax rate in the state, Kristina said. Homeowners in Hamburg Township have had to band together and tax themselves through a special assessment to fix a road in terrible disrepair. When the opioid epidemic reached this county, it was the families, teachers, and peers who were proactive amidst their grief and struggled to create a plan of action.

County inaction often costs money in the long run, she said, pointing to the new jail.

“Our county tried to arrest our way out of an addiction epidemic until the jail holding cells were full enough for a photo op.” she said. “Suddenly in a county rated one of the safest in the state, it made sense to invest $17 million dollars in a jail expansion. That decision never went to a vote, despite the financial ramifications. Expenses have gone up for the jail, we have seen a pay freeze on county employees and the local correctional officers have now been tasked with securing rented federal inmates.”

Kristina also spent the last year volunteering with the Michigan Democratic Party’s Project 83, canvassing neighborhoods in the county to listen to voters about what issues are important to them.

Kristina is the only Democrat running to represent District 8, which includes most of Hamburg Township and the western edge of Green Oak Township.

Kristina has lived in Hamburg Township for nearly 20 years. She has an associate’s degree in corrections and has earned the Correctional Officer Certification from the State of Michigan. She is currently attending Eastern Michigan University studying criminal justice and political science. She has two children who are both graduates of Pinckney Community Schools

To find out more about Kristina’s campaign, visit her website www.kristina2018.com or contact her at kristinadrake2018@gmail.com.